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Monday, February 14, 2011

Public and private sector union leaders in Wisconsin are coming together to oppose Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to take away collective bargaining rights for nearly all public employees in the state and force them to pay more for their pensions and health insurance.

Union leaders at a news conference on Monday said ending collective bargaining will weaken the middle class in Wisconsin. They are urging Walker to instead resume negotiations with the unions. Thousands of union members were expected to converge on the Capitol on Tuesday for a hearing.

"It is very possible that if the vote goes against public employees, we will witness something that hasn't happened since the 70s: massive strikes," [Mike Sacco, president of the WLEA local that represents UW and Capitol cops] writes. "This may be the only way to fight this 'wartime' mentality of the state. Only with mass unity of the teachers and all other public employees will we be able to beat back this aggression by the governor's office."

While I'm not a public employee, this just plain ain't right. These are good people and good workers. They've been loyal employees and when their employer treats them like crap, someone has to stand up for them. Especially in this case, where the people of Wisconsin are the employer.

Scott Walker may think it's fun to be a lousy, tyrannical boss. But I don't. I'm going out to stand with my employees.